Combination battery terminal and cable and method of producing the same



Sept. 4, 1951 I J. P. WHITAKER COMBINATION BATTERY TERMINAL AND CABLE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME Filed Sept. 29, 1947 0 INVENTOR.

61 Jack 2 il/raker' 7 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 4, 1 951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION BATTERY TERMINAL AND CABLE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME Application September 29, 1947, Serial No. 776,812

2 Claims.

This invention has to do with a combination battery terminal, or other fitting, and cable and to the method of joining the same through flashweld process.

The most important object of this invention is to provide a combination battery terminal and cable having a sleeve circumscribing one end of the cable and press-fitted thereon in tight engagement with the cable, the sleeve being attached to the battery terminal by flash-welding.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a combination battery terminal and cable having a sleeve provided with an external raised portion intermediate the ends thereof, serving to present an internal projection or rib, within the sleeve for gripping the cable when said sleeve is moved into a drawing die.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of a combination battery terminal and insulated cable having a portion of the insulation thereof removed from one of its ends, the cable and a portion of the insulation remaining thereon being inserted into a sleeve for grippin engagement thereby prior to flash-welding the sleeve upon the battery terminal.

Other objects of this invention include the manner in which an external rib is formed upon the cable receiving sleeve for gripping the insulation remaining thereon and extending into the sleeve; the way in which an internal shoulder is formed in the sleeve for receiving one end of the insulation in abutting relationship thereon; the manner in which the flash-welding fuses together the cable end and sleeve, and the cable end and sleeve with the battery terminal; and the way in which in a modified form thereof, a concave edge is formed on the battery terminal for presenting a straight line of weld when the sleeve is flashwelded therewith.

Many additional objects will be made clear during the course of the followin specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a combination battery terminal and cable made in accordance with my present invention, parts being broken away and in section to reveal details of construction.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the same in a partially assembled condition and prior to flash-welding, parts being broken away for clearness.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the completed combination battery terminal and cable,

Fig. 4 is a'fragmentary cross sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the present invention showing the cable and sleeve thereon after the first step in the making of the same.

Fig. 6 is a stretched-out view thereof showing the article in the second stage of its manufacture.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view thereof after completion, parts being broken away for clearness; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary edge elevational view of the completed article.

Many different forms of cables and end fitting therefor have heretofore been made and through various methods of manufacture but for the most part none have been satisfactory because of the tendency of the cable separating from the fitting after the same is placed into use.

The most common procedure for attaching a metallic cable to a fitting is by welding, particularly butt welding and oftentimes a sleeve of one character or another is placed upon the cable to prevent damage thereto during the process of welding. The particular purpose of placing a sleeve on the cable in such fashion is to prevent a flaring or spreading out of the individual wires of the cable due to the welding process. This type of cable is not satisfactory however, because only a relatively tight fit is presented between the sleeve and the cable and the weld is incapable of preventing the cable from being separated from the end fitting and from the sleeve.

The fitting chosen for illustration in the accompanying drawing constitutes a conventional clamp broadly designated by the numeral Ill and designed to engage with a battery post. It is understood however, that any fitting may be affixed to a cable in the manner about to be described other than this specific type of battery terminal III. In the modification shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the cable l2 constitutes a number of wound individual wires and is substantially cylindrical. This cable 12 is provided with insulation M in the usual manner and the first step in the manufacture of the combination forming the subject matter of this invention, is to remove a porttion of the insulation M from oneend of the cable 12, leaving a barren end [6 of the cable l2.

This end 1'6 of the cable 12 and a portion of the insulation l4 remaining upon cable I2 is then inserted into a sleeve broadly designated by the numeral I8. This sleeve l8 has an internal bore therethrough having a partisan 20 at one end thereof of uniform diameter throughout its length. This portion 263 terminates intermediate the ends of sleeve It in a beveled shoulder 22. Another portion 24 of the internal bore of sleeve I8 is of slightly greater diameter than the portion thereof and this part of the internal bore is also of uniform diameter throughout its length. The external surface of the sleeve I8 progressively increases in outside diameter from one end thereof to present a raised portion 26 intermediate the ends of the sleeve I8.

This raised portion 25 is substantially the same throughout the circumference of the sleeve It and when the end I6 of the cable I2 is placed within the sleeve I8, this portion 26 is in circumscribing relationship thereto.

An external annular rib 28 is also formed on the sleeve I8 near one end thereof adjacent the portion 24 of the internal bore of sleeve I8. This rib 23 lies in circumscribing relationship to a portion of the insulation I4" when the cable I2 is inserted in the sleeve I81 It is thus seen that thesecond step in the manufacture of the device is to insert cable 52 in sleeve I8 where the barren portion It is disposed within the portion 23 of the internal bore of sleeve I8 and the insulation It lies in abutting relationship to the internal shoulder 22', as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. This figure also shows the way in which a por tion of the insulation I4 is disposed within that portion 24 of sleeve I8. Only a predetermined amount of the insulation I4 is removed from the cable I2 to the end that when the end 30 of insulation It moves against the shoulder 22, the free end of the portion it of cable I2 will terminate a relatively short distance from one end of the sleeve). The next' step in the process of manufacture after the sleeve I8 has been placed upon the cable I2 as above described, is to move-the sleeve I8 into a conventional drawing die. This drawing die includes a head having a bore thereto of uniform diameter, said diameter being but slightly larger than the outside diameter of the sleeve I8 adjacent the end thereof opposite to the rib 28. When this sleeve is moved through the drawing die, the raised portion 26 will be pressed inwardly and evenly throughout the periphery of sleeve I8, as will the rib 28, to a point where the entire length of the sleeve I8 will be of substantially the'same outside diameter. Thus, after the sleeve 58 has moved into the drawing die, the same will appear as illustrated in Fig. 2.

This inward pressure upon the raised portion 26 and upon the rib 28 of the sleeve I8 will present an internal projection or rib 32 within the sleeve I8-andwithin the portion 20 of the internal bore relatively close to the internal shoulder 22 thereof. This projection 32 will tightly grip the portion it of the cable I2 causing the end thereof to flare outwardly as at 34. This tight grippingaction of the annular internal rib 32 upon the cable I-2 and the outward flaring thereof as at 34, will positively prevent removal of sleeve I8 from the cable I2 when placed in use. By the same token, the inward pressure upon the rib 2-8 will create an annular internal rib or projection'within the portion 24 of the bore through sleeve I8 as at 36. This rib 36 will grip that portion of the insulation I l within the sleeve I8 and not only aid in preventing removal of the cable I2 from the sleeve I8 butwill prevent unravelling of the insulation I l adjacent the sleeve I8.

The final step in the manufacture of the battery terminal and cable is toplace the free end of the sleeve I8 into abutting relationship with one edge 38 of the terminal I0 and to flash-weld the same together. This flash-weld will melt the portion 46 of the sleeve It extending beyond the outermost end of the cable I2 and fuse this outermost end of cable I2 in abutting relationship with the edge 38 of the terminal It. In addition, the flared end 34 of the cable I2 will be fused with the sleeve I8 and sleeve I8 will fuse tightly with the end 38 of terminal Iii. The manner in which the flared end 3 5 of cable I2, the sleeve I8 and the battery terminal I6 are all fused together into practically an integral molding, is clearly illustrated by the sectional view shown in Fig. 4.

It is readily understood from the foregoing that a combination battery terminal and cable is presented wherein the flash-weld not only has no harmful efiect whatsoever upon the twisted end of the cable I2 but is utilized to create a much more sturdy and durable attachment. There is no possibility whatsoever of the sleeve I8 becoming detached from the terminal II] and cable I2 cannot be pulled outwardly from the sleeve I8 because of three distinct means of attachment.

One of these means constitutes the internal rib 32 gripping the cable I2, another is the rib 36 grasping tightly the insulation I l and finally, the flared end 34 of the cable I2 is held in such flared relationship so that the same will not pass the rib 32- by the flash-welding process and the melting of the portion it of sleeve it therewith into a hard molding mass.

The modification shown in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive, includes a relatively flat woven metallic cable broadly designated by the numeral Hill. The first step in the formation of the device forming the subject matter of this modification is to place a substantially cylindrical metallic sleeve I92 upon the cable I 95. The method of placing the sleeve I62 upon the cable I00 forms no part of this invention and may be accomplished by placing one end'of the cable Iilll into a die that is hollow and frusto-conical in shape whereby to fold this end of the cable I60 into a slightly rounded condition where the same will readily receive the cylindrical sleeve I02.

The secondstep in the manufacture is to press the sleeve I82 in a fiat condition as illustrated in Fig. 6. This step may be accomplished in any number of ways but the sleeve I02 should be pressed into tight gripping relationship with the cable I00. The battery terminal Iiit in this instance has a concave edge its for receiving the sleeve I 02 and the cable Iliii in abutting relationship therewith. These parts are then flash- Welded in the same manner as above described with respect to the modification shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

This flash-welding step will fuse the end of the uninsulated cable I tightly within the sleeve I92 and also fuse sleeve IG2 and'the cable Itlfi with the terminal I64. By forming the edge of terminal I34 which receives the cable I69 as at Hit, a straight line of weld is presented across the terminal I04 and the sleeve I02 substantially parallel with the edges of this sleeve I92. In the absence of forming this concave edge I06, the

line of weld is arcuate because of the tendency of fusing together more quickly at the outermost ends of the sleeve I52, leaving an unsatisfactory weld intermediate the ends of the sleeve I82 and of the terminal I04. By forming this arcuate edge I06 on the terminal I04, the line of weld is uniform and of like strength entirely across the sleeve I62 and the edge Iilt of terminal I04.

While only two modifications of my present invention have been illustrated and described, it is realized that many additional variations in the method of manufacturing the same and in the device itself, may be utilized without departing from the spirit of this invention or scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of attaching a metallic cable to a metal fitting which comprises the steps of enclosing a part of the cable adjacent one end thereof in a metallic sleeve with a portion of said sleeve extending outwardly beyond said part of the cable; pressing said sleeve into tight frictional engagement with said part of the cable; holding said one end of the sleeve in abutting relationship with the fitting to form a pocket defined by the end of the cable, said fitting, and 20 the metallic sleeve; and then melting the extending portion of the sleeve by flash welding to cause the material thereof to flow into said pocket and thereby fuse together the cable, said sleeve, and the fitting.

2. The method of attaching metallic, stranded cable to a metal fitting which comprises the steps of enclosing a part of the cable adjacent one end thereof in a metallic sleeve with a portion of said sleeve extending outwardly, longitudinally beyond said part of the cable; pressing said sleeve into tight frictional engagement with said part of the cable along a line circumscribing the cable and spaced inwardly from said one end thereof to flare the end of the cable and to form spaces between the strands thereof; holding said one end of the sleeve in abutting relationship with the fitting to form a pocket defined by the end of the cable, said fitting, and the metallic sleeve; and then melting the extending portion of the sleeve by flash welding to cause the material thereof to flow into said pocket and into the said spaces between the strands at the aforesaid flared end of the cable to thereby fuse together the cable, said sleeve, and the fitting.

JACK P. WHITAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 650,862 McTighe June 5, 1900 1,758,218 Carlson May 13, 1930 1,916,574 Key July 4, 1933 1,977,846 Febrey Oct. 23, 1934 2,008,227 Reilly July 16, 1935 2,008,787 Febrey July 23, 1935 2,226,849 Douglas Dec. 21, 1940 2,304,194 Payne Dec. 8, 1942 2,480,280 Bergan Aug. 30, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 210,271 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1940 

